New songs for September 30th, 2020

 here they are:


"Can I Believe You?" by Fleet Foxes: Indie-folk sensations, Fleet Foxes, have switched gears from cynical to hopeful, at least for now. I'm skeptical as to how long their optimism will truly last during this troubled time, but part of the reason for this was because of the sour disposition that colored the outlook of their 2017 album, which was particularly noticeable on their song, "Fool's Errand." A title like "Can I Believe You?" also seems like it would promote skepticism, but during the final part of the song, lead singer Robin Pecknold makes it clear that he WANTS to believe the subject of the song, whoever or whatever that may be. Pecknold has jokingly referred to this song as the "headbanger" of his latest album. Unless you consider groups like The Shins to be heavy metal (which I highly doubt), there's nothing "headbanging" at all about this song. However, it is noticeably more lively and less sparse than most Fleet Foxes songs.

"Can I Call You Tonight?" by Dayglow: Yet another "Can I?" song. Is there a theme here somewhere?! Anyway, there is nothing that really distinguishes this song from other pop-influenced indie and alt tunes from the past 10-ish years, but it does manage to be catchy. Sloan Struble (who is, himself, "Dayglow") croons whisper-y messages over a guitar/drums/synth combo that bears a striking resemblance to groups like Tame Impala, whom Struble claims is one of his main influences in this song, along with Michael Jackson. Other than the fact that this is a danceable pop music tune, I don't quite see the resemblance to MJ, but if you're part of the TikTok generation, it is probably worth listening to, as that was the main source through which "Can I Call You Tonight?" gained popularity. 

"Hollow" by Belle Mt.: Ever since the advent of acts like Imagine Dragons and Avicii circa the mid-2010's, the combo of acoustic guitar and dance/pop influence seems to have gained popularity. In the 2020's, at least the early part of the decade, this combo shows no signs of slowing down. "Hollow" by Belle Mt. is exactly that - a song centered around acoustic guitar and synthetic rhythms. As one might be able to guess from the lyrics, or perhaps just the title by itself, "Hollow" is about Matt Belmont (a.k.a. "Belle Mt.")'s relationship with a girl that he later regretted getting into. The lyrics are somewhat creative regarding this rather typical topic, especially "Lonely is her favorite place to be" during the chorus, but otherwise there's something about "Hollow" that seems...well...hollow! Music these days seems rather melancholy without a lot of substance to it, and this song is evidence of that. Not a bad one, though.

"How Lucky" by Kurt Vile (featuring John Prine): The cynical yet clever indie-folk musician, Kurt Vile, reveals here how he probably got that whole persona in his music in the first place - from John Prine, the recently deceased folk-rock and country-rock musician whose attitude and lyrics often smacked of a clever sense of cynicism and sarcasm ("Illegal Smile" and "In Spite of Ourselves" are both great examples of this.) "How Lucky" was actually originally Prine's song, which Kurt is covering here. Lyrically, the song is sort of like The Beatles' "In My Life" if the lyrics were being questioned by a skeptic. It invokes a sense of both nostalgia and realism. How lucky can one man get? Very lucky, apparently, as Kurt Vile pays tribute to a musician who was both cool enough for punks and mellow enough for hippies (much as Kurt himself has become today)!

"The Great Divide" by The Shins: This song might be a bit more electronica influenced than Shins fans are used to, but lead singer James Mercer is no stranger to the genre, which he experimented with on his side project, Broken Bells. Lyrically, it is one of an ever expanding lineup of songs that attempt to provide its audience with comfort during hard times. The song has an almost New Age-y vibe with lines like, "Now an age has come out of the loneliness." "The Great Divide" might have a negative sounding title with its use of the word "divide", but it aims to invoke emotions that are anything but negative. 

2017: New songs for the New Year!!

Happy New Year everyone!! Yeah, I realize I'm 11 days late, but it took awhile for some new songs to come out this time around. Thankfully, here are 5 of them to help you kick this year into full blown musical action!


"Cold Cold Cold" by Cage the Elephant: After the stompin' garage rock of "Mess Around" and the calmer psychedelic folk-rock of "Trouble" comes a song that seems to strike a perfect balance between those two for Cage the Elephant, "Cold Cold Cold". This song is soft but still a little jazzy in a way that almost brings to mind what a psychedelic tinged bossa nova song might be like. A psychedelic blues-rock guitar solo comes in towards the end of the song, perhaps for CTE to maintain their image as a "rock band" or perhaps just to goof around and have some fun. Either way, "Cold Cold Cold" is a hot hot hot song as far as I'm concerned!


"Good With God" by Old 97's (featuring Brandi Carlile): 2016 was almost as terrible a year as 1971 was for the music world in terms of how many people we lost that year. Thankfully Rhett Miller and the rest of The Old 97's are still alive and kickin', yet it seems like Rhett can't help but feel in his latest song, "Good With God", like he might just be the next one to be swept up to Rock And Roll Heaven. In this "Ghost Riders In the Sky" styled number, he assures himself that he isn't afraid of possibility of this happening and that he's "good with God". And where does Brandi Carlile figure into all of this?! Well, as it turns out, she IS God in the context of this song. Considering how laid back (a bit TOO laid back for my taste) Brandi usually is, she does a pretty stunning and compelling performance as the (Wo)man Upstairs in this song!


"Name For You" by The Shins: Ob-la-di, ob-la-da, life goes on...into middle age, for The Shins' James Mercer. In "Name For You", a song that combines power pop with ska in a similar manner to how The Beatles' "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" did, James reflects on being a dad who is a year past 45 (can you believe it?!) One of his little girls is at least 8 if not older, as The Shins guest starred on "Yo Gabba Gabba" on 2008 back when she wasn't even old enough to attend preschool, which is another thing that makes the once young and fresh indie pop star feel like he's inching ever closer to being viewed as "oldies" like his influences such as The Beatles, The Byrds, The Beach Boys, and The Zombies are all viewed as and have been for awhile at this point. This may sound like the plot of some coming of age indie film written and produced by Zach Braff, but I can assure you that the events "Name For You" has been based on are 100 % real!


"Roll With the Punches" by Dawes: Mumford and Sons might have made folk-rock cool again, but Dawes have made folk-rock rock again! Dawes' organ driven rocker, "Roll With the Punches", is a gritty, roots-y song that sounds like it was pulled straight out of the Robbie Robertson/Levon Helm handbook (it bears a slight resemblance to The Band's "Chest Fever" to me). The song's shimmering Crosby Stills & Nash styled harmonies contrast slightly with the sizzling energy it has to offer. Not nearly as compelling as Dawes' song "When the Tequila Runs Out" from summer of last year, but still worth listening to if ya ask me.


"To Be Without You" by Ryan Adams: I can't believe my eyes! ANOTHER new Ryan Adams song?! But I just reviewed him last month! Oh well, on with the show, as they say. Those who thought Adams' "The Prisoner" would be full of high energy rock songs might be disappointed when they hear this one, but for others, "To Be Without You" might offer proof that Ryan Adams might finally be comfortable enough to include a rock song and a ballad on the same album! It seems that Ryan is copying his own material in "To Be Without You", which sounds a bit like his own "Everybody Knows", but it is a slightly longer and much more heartfelt song than that one was. The lyrics are exactly what you might think they would be on a song called "To Be Without You", sad and forlorn. Perhaps "Do You Still Love Me?" and "To Be Without You" were, respectively, question and answer songs for the same album.

Have A Holly Jolly Hipster Christmas - special blog dedicated to "Holidays Rule"!!

I don't normally post on days other than Wednesday, but the new CD "Holidays Rule", showcasing mostly contemporary folk-rock and indie-pop, has soooo many good songs that would just be too much to blog about if I added them into another blog entry for non-Christmas/non-holiday related songs! There actually too many songs on this CD to be covering in one entry, so I'll be reviewing my personal faves from the CD today. So here goes! Hope you like it!!


"Auld Lang Syne" by Andrew Bird: Ever the quirky indie musician, Mr. Bird has decided not to choose a Christmas related song, and opt for a New Year's one instead! And his arrangement of it is...ummm...interesting!! Instead of being sung with reverence, it is treated more like a jaunty, honky-tonk song! No Andrew Bird song is complete without a string section instrument, but Bird continues to surprise his listeners by choosing a fiddle this time instead of a violin or cello like he usually does. It's also pretty impressive that Andrew Bird knows more than just the first verse of "Auld Lang Syne", since most people (including myself) only remember that verse!


"Baby It's Cold Outside" by Rufus Wainwright and Sharon Van Etten: The ultimate boy/girl duet Christmas song is performed this year by eclectic music extraordinaire Rufus Wainwright and angst-ridden folk-rocker Sharon Van Etten. Presented only with piano and vocals, Rufus and Sharon deliver an endearing duet (in which Rufus, as always, steals the show) that is bound to make one curl up inside with a cup of hot cocoa by the fireplace with his/her loved one. Van Etten's nearly deadpan vocal delivery provides an intriguing contrast with Wainwright's expressively operatic vocals, but they still manage to make it work! If only Zooey Deschanel didn't perform this song TWICE (once with Will Ferrell and another with M. Ward), I'd opt for her to sing the "girl" parts of this song, but otherwise, well worth the listen!


"Blue Christmas" by Heartless B*st*rds: A band whose name is both a curse word and an insult doesn't exactly seem like one that would be in the Christmas spirit, does it?! Surprise! Erika Wennerstrom is no Grinch! However, she did choose a more brokenhearted holiday song for "Holidays Rule", "Blue Christmas", a song that I initially thought had only been done by Elvis Presley, but has been covered by many others ever since. The HB's give "Blue Christmas" a melancholy country-rock treatment, complete with a sighing, twangy guitar solo in the middle. A big ol' heart melter, like most of the "Holidays Rule" songs, but that's why I like it!


"(Everybody's Waitin' For) The Man With the Bag" by Black Prairie: With a title that's a clear reference to Santa Claus, you'd think a song like this would be pretty energetic. And it is! But...not at first. The first 30 seconds or so of "Man With the Bag" build up suspense to a song that soon begins to sound like The Decemberists got taken over by Feist leading a band of jolly little elves! A surprisingly fun song for a band whose only known song so far is called "How Do You Ruin Me?" This could land Black Prairie a guest spot on "Yo Gabba Gabba" if they're not careful, heheh.


"Green Grows the Holly" by Calexico: Not one of the obvious Santa/Rudolph type Christmas songs, but it's songs like Calexico's "Green Grows the Holly" that adds a bit of diversity in subject matter to the "Holidays Rule" song collection. A very mournful holiday song, too, but not without a unique, Calexico-style horn solo in the middle of it to make it perk up, if only for a minute. Calexico are typically more lively than they are on this acoustic-guitar-and-horns-only track. Where I would normally envision a Calexico song taking place around the Mojave Desert in the middle of summer in the afternoon, this one seems more to take place around dusk, near winter, with holly and ivy growing in place of the cacti.


"I Heard the Bells On Christmas Day" by The Civil Wars: John and Joy turn a solemn Christmas song into a more charming one simply by using their signature harmonies to make the song complete, but the sentiments of requesting peace on Earth and good will to men in a world of cynical people are still there. Accompanied only by acoustic guitar, The Civil Wars show, once again, how their brand of quiet is the new loud, enough to make listeners stop and become entranced by both the mellifluous melodies and universally uplifting utterances of their take on an old Christmas fave.


"It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas" by Fruit Bats: The formerly cheery Christmas song, "It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas", gets a makeover from indie-folk-rockers Fruit Bats, with a sound that's halfway between a classic country song and Hawaiian music. Though The Bats have made this song lose some of the pep it once had, it is not completely without its bouncy beat. It's not as though Fruit Bats have added minor chords in place of the major ones, that's still a part of the song in this version. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, but more like the kind of Christmas you'd want to spend inside your house, and not outside in a mall.


"O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" by Punch Brothers: An interesting selection for "Holidays Rule", and an even more interesting version! Among the recent "bluegrass-rock" boom, Punch Brothers are probably one of the few (if not the only) band of the bunch that could be considered "progressive bluegrass", since their verses and choruses are often in completely different keys to one another. They continue to demonstrate this oddly amazing talent in their take on "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel", one of those songs that, "keeps the 'Christ' in 'Christmas'", so to speak, as its title and subject matter are both references to Jesus. Punch Brothers do not lose an ounce of reverence in their rendition of "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel", in terms of both vocal and instrumental quality. Perhaps this means that Punch Brothers are "brothers" in more ways than one might expect?!


"Sleigh Ride" by fun.: I have truly underestimated fun. With each song they release, their instrumental talents continue to impress me more and more. With the combination of "modern" instruments (like synths), and more "traditional" ones (like violins and flutes) all set to a giant indie-pop wall of sound, this version of "Sleigh Ride" could have been done by Arcade Fire with the exact same arrangement (but with different vocals, obviously)!! It even dips into psychedelic, echo-y territory a la "Tomorrow Never Knows" by The Beatles towards the end of it! I think fun. are gliding through more than just a wonderland of snow in their version of "Sleigh Ride". They are gliding through a wonderland of SOUND!! Now that's what I call "ear candy"!


"The Christmas Song" by Paul McCartney: Sir Paul must be quite overwhelmed that he is both performing a song AND having a song he originally did covered by someone else ("Wonderful Christmastime") on the same album!! Macca's arrangement of the time-honored Christmas tune that begins with descriptions of "chestnuts roasting on an open fire" and "Jack Frost nipping at your nose" is not a bad one, but a B effort, or perhaps even a C one, in comparison to the Nat King Cole version I'm used to hearing. It must also feel weird for Paul to be the only "classic rock" musician on a record of mostly indie-pop musicians of the '00s and 2010's. Perhaps that's why his efforts feel only so-so on "The Christmas Song", but this IS a song that seems to be good, regardless of who's singing it.


"What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" by The Head and The Heart: Aside from Andrew Bird's contribution to "Holidays Rule", this is the only post-Christmas December related song on the CD. I realize just now that this is The Head and The Heart's first major song with romantic sentiments attached to it. Their topics previously revolved around homesickness ("Lost In My Mind"), being a world weary traveler ("Down In the Valley"), and speculations about the paranormal ("Ghosts"). So how do The Head and The Heart fare at choosing more personal subject matter into their music?! Quite effectively, if I do say so myself. The song carries a sweet, but not sappy, message of hope to spend New Year's Eve with one's significant other, and is perfect for a cozy, warm, stay-at-home December.


"Wonderful Christmastime" by The Shins: And last, but not least, it's Paul McCartney! Ummm...I mean...The Shins COVERING Paul McCartney! Kind of. James Mercer's love of The Beach Boys is more obvious in this version of McCartney's signature Christmas tune than his love of The Beatles, what the "Good Vibrations"-ish organ to start off the song. The lyrics get either goofed up or added on to at certain parts, so it doesn't exactly feel like a sincere cover, but those who prefer have their holiday tunes sound more psychedelic than plain ol' happy might get a kick out of this version.

New songs for June 6th, 2012

here they are:


"Anyone Else" by The Fixx: Whoa, hold up a second!! You mean the same guys who did "One Thing Leads to Another"?! Yep, that's right! A new wave band that hasn't had a hit in over 20 years is coming back to the spotlight with a song that sounds uncannily like one of their vintage '80s tunes! One aspect of The Fixx that made them so appealing in the '80s was their ability to mix catchy hooks with dark, post-apocalyptic lyrical themes (as evidenced on "Saved By Zero", "Red Skies", and "Stand Or Fall"), and the cynical lyrical themes continue to surface in "Anyone Else" (i.e. "The jealous cursed, crashed and burned, the unaccountable way to die"). The one thing missing from "Anyone Else" that I was hoping to hear, though, was Cy Curnin's rather underrated, but still incredibly talented guitar solo techniques. At the heart of some of The Fixx's older songs were funky, driving guitar riffs ("Saved By Zero"), and sometimes, more complex solos driven by hammer-ons and pull-offs ("Red Skies"). "Anyone Else" has no defining guitar hook or solo, sadly, though guitar playing is still present on the song. Other than that, though, this is quite a stunning comeback from a band that I never thought I'd hear recording music in the 21st century!!


"Born To" by Jesca Hoop: Born to...what?! Run?! Be wild?! Nope, just "Born To". And yeah, "Jesca" is not a typo, that's the way she spells her name. Jesca Hoop's music is, perhaps, as unique as the unusual spelling of her first name, with her seemingly effortless combination of Celtic, folk, and indie-pop. The title of the song, "Born To", is somewhat of a cliffhanger title, as she never actually answers what it is she's "born to" do, but it seems as though much of the song is lyrically enigmatic (take, for instance, the refrain, "Now you've got to get in with what you've got, what you've been given, or not". Huh?!) But Jesca manages to combine her quirky sound (and quirkier lyrics) with a catchy, danceable beat, and an oddly endearing sense of energetic satisfaction in her vocal delivery. So sit back, relax, enjoy the music, and know that we were born to...ummm....something, I'll get to that part later.


"I'm Shakin'" by Jack White: The sweet folk-rock of Jack's "Love Interruption" from earlier this year could be contrasted by "I'm Shakin'", a smoky, blues-y rocker that's actually a cover of a song from bluesman Little Willie John. The opening guitar hook of this song initially reminded me a bit of the "Mr. Heatmiser" song from one of the Rankin-Bass claymation holiday specials (of all things!!), but now that I know this is a cover song, I'm thinking that the same type of hook was probably used on the original version and has nothing to do with imaginary singing Christmas characters. Until Jack gets to using his trademark guitar sound during the solo of "I'm Shakin'", it's a song that sounds like it could have very well been from the late '60s/early '70s, which is not surprising given how much into that era of music he seems to be. The best thing of all about this song, though, is how he pronounces the word "nervous" as "noivus", seemingly on poipose...ummm...I mean on "purpose"!! There's such an "I-meant-to-do-that" factor behind his pronunciation of that word that it just cracks me up!!


"Into the Wild" by LP: "Into the Wild" sounds like it might as well belong on the soundtrack to "Into the Wild" (that is, if Florence Welch sang all the songs on the soundtrack instead of Eddie Vedder). Its attention isn't getting garnered by trailers for movies, though, but instead by advertisements for Citibank. Lyrically, "Into the Wild" (the song) is a lot closer to, well, "Into the Wild" (the movie). Both the movie and the song deal with escaping from the pressures of society, so it's ironic that a major corporation like Citibank is using the song in its commercials. With "Into the Wild"'s yearning, urgent questions of "How do we not fade?" and "How do we live?" in regards to the human condition, as well as its sweeping, largely acoustic guitar based sound, I really do think "Into the Wild" would have been a perfect fit for the "Into the Wild" soundtrack if it included musicians other than Eddie Vedder!


"It's Only Life" by The Shins: It figures that the first single off The Shins's latest CD would be a dynamic, rocking one, and it took until the SECOND single for The Shins to get back to their trademark laid-back, folk-rock-y sound. If there's something catchy from a musician or band that normally isn't, it seems to be a surefire radio hit, and such was the case with "Simple Song". "It's Only Life" is more of a typical Shins song, musically. Lyrically, this song provides an interesting contrast to The Shins' typically weird lyrics. The lyrics to "It's Only Life" are still wrapped up in metaphor, but they're easier to understand than, say, "New Slang" or "Phantom Limb". For instance, one phrase from "It's Only Life", "we all spend a little while going down the rabbit hole", refers to how everyone has his/her "down days", and "you used to be such a lion, before you got into all this cryin'", points out how we might not be as "tough" as we would like to think we are. But in the chorus, James Mercer assures us that "It doesn't have to be so dark and lonesome", and that "It takes a while but we can figure this thing out and turn it back around", shining a light through the darkness of the rest of the song. In a world of weird and weary indie rock, this song manages to be wistful and wonderful!


"New Wild Everywhere" by Great Lake Swimmers: With their combination of folk, rock, country, and the hippie spirit in both their sound and their words, Great Lake Swimmers are likely musical descendants of groups like The Band and The Flying Burrito Brothers. The phrase "new wild everywhere" itself is rather hippie-ish, taken from the chorus of the song ("there's a new wild feeling dancing in the air/there's a new wild everywhere"). If a "new wild feeling dancing in the air" wasn't enough for you, there are plenty of samples of phrases from the first verse of the song ("Colors burning brighter, hunger for the spark"), to the last ("Fly up to the heavens, anchored in the clouds/Fly beyond the night, love the blooming sounds"), that just burst with the spirit of the '60s! Whether you've just come back from a nature walk, or you're looking for something to meditate to in a flower garden, or you just want the spirit of song to soothe and satisfy your soul, "New Wild Everywhere" is the perfect "peace and love" song for the 2010's!

New songs for January 18th, 2012

Here they are:

“Get Yourself Another Fool” by Paul McCartney: At first this song seemed like a rather disappointing departure from the wonderful Radiohead/Oasis-like Britpop influenced material Sir Paul went for in the mid to late 2000’s, with such gems of his as the somber “Jenny Wren”, the delightfully pop-y “Fine Line”, the bright pseudo-alt-pop of “Ever Present Past”, and the jubilant “Dance Tonight”, among others. “Get Yourself Another Fool” seemed like Paul’s attempt to be, say, Norah Jones, Jamie Cullum, or some other smooth jazz influenced contemporary pop musician. While “Get Yourself Another Fool” certainly has that sound to it, it relieved me to know that this wasn’t actually Paul’s song, but rather, a song from the legendary soul musician, Sam Cooke. With Paul’s take on “Get Yourself Another Fool”, the song has now been covered by two British rock musicians (the other being Elvis Costello). Jazz-pop doesn’t seem like it was ever something Sir Paul was interested in, but perhaps I’ll give him some slack since it’s his first time attempting to perform something of the genre. It’s been a little hard for me to warm up to this song, as I was expecting the alt-pop, Nigel Godrich produced sound of McCartney here, but perhaps in time I’ll grow to really like this one, who knows.

“Shake Your Hips” by Joan Osborne: Most people probably remember Joan Osborne as the somewhat Alanis Morissette-ish singer from the mid-‘90s who did that song about God being “one of us”. While I do like that song, Joan was really a much more diverse performer than that! She also dabbled in folk-rock (“St. Teresa”), blues (“Right Hand Man”), and soul (“Ladder”). She especially seemed to like soul music for quite some time (so much so, in fact, that she sang Martha and The Vandellas’ “Heat Wave” during a Motown tribute performance), and soul was pretty much what she stuck to doing throughout the 2000’s. Most of her attempts at soul didn’t come out very well, though (the aforementioned “Heat Wave” cover excepted). Now that the 2010’s have come around, though, Joan has decided to take on the blues-woman aspect she did in “Right Hand Man”. “Shake Your Hips” is actually even MORE true to the spirit of the blues than “Right Hand Man”, though, in that it’s literally a one-chord vamp (it is just A major throughout), like many blues songs tend to be, and it has a chuggin’ boogie beat that John Lee Hooker would be proud of if he were still alive today!

“Simple Song” by The Shins: The most heavily anticipated song of the week comes to us from none other than the band who first became popular through the “Garden State” soundtrack. Their lead singer, James Mercer, made his last album with The Shins in 2007. He embarked on a successful side project, Broken Bells, with Danger Mouse from Gnarls Barkley, three years after that, so he’s been a busy man for quite some time. “Simple Song”, however marks the first time The Shins have performed together in five years!! So how does the band sound after half a decade of absence from the music world?! Quite different, actually. The Byrds-y arpeggios and Beach Boys-style harmonies that once dominated The Shins’ catalog are not present on “Simple Song”, a song that combines the bass hook of Queen and David Bowie’s “Under Pressure” with crunchy (but still melodic) Matthew Sweet style power pop. The four minute length and five or so chords used in “Simple Song” might make it live up to its title, but this just isn’t what I was expecting from The Shins. It’s BETTER!! James Mercer and the boys are also playing Coachella this year, and “Simple Song” is probably one of the main reasons why!

“Underneath the Sycamore” by Death Cab for Cutie: Whenever Death Cab comes out with a new album, at least one song from it is mega-successful on both adult alt radio and “regular” alt-rock radio. Their latest album, “Codes and Keys”, is no exception to the rule. Two songs from the album (the uber-popular “You Are A Tourist”, as well as “Stay Young, Go Dancing”) have already made their way onto the airwaves, and as 2012 kicks into gear, Death Cab now have a THIRD song from “Codes And Keys” pushing for radio airplay! Since Ben Gibbard was married to the lovely Zooey Deschanel during the year “Codes And Keys” came out, just about every song from the album so far has been optimistic. “Underneath the Sycamore” is also optimistic, but its sound is somewhat U2-ish in comparison to the mostly folk-rock influenced catalog of Death Cab for Cutie. “You Are A Tourist” also had a U2-ish sound, so Ben Gibbard probably wanted to go for a larger audience on “Codes And Keys” (although “Stay Young, Go Dancing” adhered to the folk-rock sound of most of their material, so Death Cab haven’t TOTALLY switched their sound…yet). The title track to “Codes And Keys” would have made for a more satisfying choice for the third single off the album, but “Underneath the Sycamore” is still not a bad choice.